Valve nozzle for a dispenser for liquid cosmetic products

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a valve nozzle for a dispenser for a liquid cosmetic product, the nozzle including a reservoir and an internal piston which is actuated by the displacement of a base. The inventive nozzle is characterised in that it comprises a cap which closes the reservoir and is provided with a dispensing opening that can be closed in a sealed manner by a pin fixed to a spacer which is arranged inside the cap in a sliding manner and is provided with at least one line which successively ensures the emptying of the reservoir and the discharge of the product. According to the invention, the cap and the spacer define a space with a wall that has at least one elastically deformable region, enabling the pin to retract from the dispensing opening, following the actuation of the piston, in order to ensure the discharge of the product.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2004/007676 filed on Jul. 12, 2004, which designates the United States and claims priority of French Patent Application No. 0308640 filed on Jul. 15, 2003.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a nozzle with a valve for a dispenser of liquid cosmetic products.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

More specifically, the invention is applicable to dispensers that include, essentially, a reservoir and an inner piston activated by the displacement of a base.

These dispensers are generally provided with an end valve that assures both the watertightness of the reservoir and the delivery of the product.

The valve is often built into an applicator nozzle, which can be made from a single piece with the reservoir or can be joined onto the latter.

In both cases, during the packaging phase of the product, it is necessary to assure the release of the air located, at the end of the assembly process, in the space situated above the free surface of the liquid.

This operation, which is carried out on the premises of the product manufacturer, must be simple and easy to implement so as not to entail an additional production cost and/or quality flaws.

Moreover, during the product-dispensing phase, the dosage precision depends closely on the sensitivity of the valve and on its capacity to react in response to the excess pressure generated by the displacements of the piston, even in the case of small amplitudes corresponding to small doses.

As regards watertightness, it depends on the quickness and reliability of the mobile elements of the valve when returning to their normal position.

All these constraints are the technical problems that the nozzle of the invention aims to resolve.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This objective is achieved by means of a nozzle characterised in that it includes a cover that closes off the reservoir and has a dispensing orifice that can be blocked in a watertight fashion by means of a spigot solidly attached to a spacer housed so as to slide inside the cover and provided with at least one conduit that successively assures the venting of the reservoir and the evacuation of the product, said cover and said spacer delimiting between them an enclosure in which the wall has at least one area that can be elastically distorted making it possible to separate the spigot from the dispensing orifice, following the action of the piston, so as to assure the delivery of the product.

According to a first alternative embodiment of the invention, said distortable area consists of the top section of the cover, around the dispensing orifice. Said conduit is preferably made through the spacer.

According to another alternative embodiment, said distortable area consists of the top wall of a gas cell, which supports said spigot. Said cell is therefore preferably solidly attached to said spacer.

In addition, in this case said conduit is made in the perimeter of said cell.

According to an advantageous characteristic, the bottom perimeter of said spacer is provided with an element linking it with the top edge of the reservoir.

According to another characteristic, said cover includes a skirt that that fits radially onto the outer side wall of the reservoir.

According to yet another characteristic, said cover includes an inner stop that limits the upward sliding of the spacer when it is being assembled on the reservoir.

The invention also relates to a method for packaging a liquid cosmetic product in a dispenser including a nozzle according to the invention, characterised in that, after filling, said cover is fitted onto the reservoir with the inner spacer in its low position to clear the dispensing orifice, then said nozzle is pushed down to release the air it contains towards the outside, through the conduit, the enclosure and the orifice until the spacer comes to a stop downwards against the top edge of the reservoir and, then, the cover stops against the spacer, while the spigot enters the dispensing orifice in a watertight fashion.

According to a characteristic of the method, the nozzle is guided onto the dispenser, making the cover slide against the side wall of the reservoir, which thus offers a radial seat.

The nozzle of the invention is particularly simple since it only includes two pieces (cover and spacer) that can remain attached to each other, forming a pre-assembled assembly, delivered to the customer together with the other part of the dispenser (reservoir, piston and base).

The packaging method of the invention is, in addition, easy to industrialise, since the final closing step consists of simply fitting the pre-assembled assembly onto the reservoir with automatic release of the air it contains.

Moreover, this fitting is guided by the cooperation between the skirt of the cover and the wall of the reservoir, which offers a radial seat.

The invention will be better understood from reading the following description made in reference the diagrams, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B show cross-sections of a first embodiment of the nozzle of the invention mounted on a dispenser, respectively in the normal phase and the dispensing phase.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show cross-sections of a second embodiment of the nozzle of the invention mounted on the same dispenser, respectively in the normal phase and the dispensing phase.

FIGS. 3A to 3D show diagrammatic views of the various steps in the packaging method of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the nozzle of the invention are shown in the figures in association with dispensers D of liquid cosmetic products, the structure of which is presented here in a diagrammatic fashion.

These dispensers D include, essentially and as their main parts, a reservoir R and an inner piston P displaced by manual activation of a base E and, particularly in this case, by the rotation of said base around a vertical axis, with regard to the reservoir R and the nozzle.

The nozzle of the invention is obviously suited for being mounted on dispensers other than those shown here, and essentially on dispensers in which the piston is moved by axial displacement of the valve actuator.

In FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2Aa and 2B, the product is not shown for reasons of clarity.

The nozzle of the invention includes a cover 1 enclosing the reservoir R and which has a dispensing orifice 10. The orifice 10 can be blocked in a watertight fashion by means of a spigot or a needle valve 21 solidly attached to a spacer lodged so as to slide inside the cover 1.

The spacer 2 is provided with at least one conduit 20 that successively assures the venting of the reservoir R as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D and the evacuation of the product from said reservoir, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 2B.

The cover 1 and the spacer 2 delimit between them, in the top section of the nozzle, an enclosure 12 supplied with the product via the conduit 20. The wall of this enclosure has at least one elastically distortable area that makes it possible to clear the spigot 21 from the dispensing orifice 10, by the action of the piston P, to allow the delivery of the product.

The bottom perimeter of the spacer 2 is provided with an element that assures the link with the top edge or neck r of the reservoir R, while the cover 1 includes a skirt 11 that fits tightly in a watertight fashion against the outer side wall of the reservoir R and comes to a stop on the outside against the top edge of the base E.

The cover 1 also includes an inner stop, for example, in the form of a shoulder 13 intended to limit the relative, upward sliding of the spacer 2 when mounting the nozzle on a dispenser, as shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the distortable area of the enclosure 12 consists of the top section of the cover 1. This area consists of the actual wall of the cover, which is made, at least around the dispensing orifice, from a specific material and/or with a specific thickness, granting it sufficient flexibility for opening the orifice 10 under the pressure of the product.

The conduit 20 in this case is made through the spacer 2 and, in the alternative embodiment shown, around the spigot 21.

The reservoir R has a neck r with a profile that complements the profile of the peripheral flange 22 of the spacer 2, assuring the connection with said flange by fitting.

In addition, the profile of the side face of the spacer 2 matches the inner wall of the cover 1 at the level of the shoulder 13, thus assuring that it is wedged in a high position.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the distortable area of the enclosure 12 consists of the top wall 23 a of a gas cell 24 supporting the spigot 21.

The gas used will preferably be air at atmospheric pressure.

The cell 24 is airtight and solidly attached to the spacer 2.

An excess pressure is generated in the reservoir R and in the enclosure 12 by the action of the piston P. Since the wall of the cover 1 is not distortable in this case, this excess pressure is absorbed by the thin wall of the cell 24, forming a membrane that can bend, bringing with it the spigot 21 and thus opening the orifice 10.

This operation is obviously only possible with the condition that the difference between the pressure in the enclosure 12, pressurised through the action of the piston P, and the pressure in the inner volume of the cell 24 is positive.

In the alternative shown, the cell is housed inside the spacer, and the bottom 23 b of the cell consists of a rigid wall that will not distort under the pressure conditions that are expected to be established.

This bottom can be a separate part, as in the alternative shown, or can be made from a single part with the other parts of the cell 24.

The conduit 20 is made in the perimeter of the cell in the form of at least one channel 20 a. If several channels are foreseen, as in the alternative shown, they will be separated by partitions 25 that extend, axially, between the side wall of the cell 24 and the wall of the nozzle 1.

The neck r of the reservoir is made up of at least one peripheral slot c, assuring both the passage of the product and the connection with the spacer 2.

The mounting of the nozzle of the invention on the dispenser D is an operation implemented during the product packaging process, which is performed as follows:

After filling the reservoir R (FIG. 3A), the cover 1 is positioned and fitted as shown in FIG. 3B.

In this step, the spacer 2 is in its low position; the spigot 21 is retracted with regard to the orifice 10.

Then, the nozzle is pushed vertically downwards, which has the effect of forcing the air it contains to be continuously and automatically released to the outside (represented by the arrows in FIG. 3B) through the conduit 20, the enclosure 12 and the orifice 10.

Throughout this first assembly phase, the nozzle is guided by sliding the cover 1 on the outside of the side wall of the reservoir R, which thus offers a radial seat, while the spacer 2 is fixed with regard to the cover 1.

This sliding fitting continues until the spacer 2 comes to a stop against the top edge r of the reservoir R, as shown in FIG. 3C.

After this position, the spacer 2 is immobilised on the reservoir and only the cover 1 continues to slide vertically downwards with regard to the spacer/reservoir assembly.

The assembly is completed when the spigot 21 is inserted in a watertight fashion in the orifice 10 and the cover 1 stops jointly against the top section of the spacer 2; the bottom edge of the skirt 11 in this case comes simultaneously into contact with the base E, as shown in the FIG. 3D. 

1. Nozzle with a valve for dispensing a liquid cosmetic product comprising: a reservoir; an inner piston activated by the displacement of a base; a cover that closes off the reservoir and has a dispensing orifice that can be blocked in a watertight fashion by means of a spigot solidly attached to a spacer housed so as to slide inside the cover; and at least one conduit for venting of the reservoir and the evacuation of the product, wherein said cover and said spacer delimiting between them an enclosure in which the wall has at least one area that can be elastically distorted making it possible to separate the spigot from the dispensing orifice, following the action of the piston, so as to assure the delivery of the product.
 2. Nozzle according to claim 1, wherein said distortable area consists of the top section of the cover, around the dispensing orifice.
 3. Nozzle according to claim 2, wherein said conduit is made through the spacer.
 4. Nozzle according to claim 1, wherein said distortable area consists of the top wall of a gas cell, which supports said spigot.
 5. Nozzle according to claim 4, wherein said cell is solidly attached to said spacer.
 6. Nozzle according to claim 4 wherein said conduit is made in the perimeter of said cell.
 7. Nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the bottom perimeter of said spacer is provided with an element linking it with the top edge of the reservoir.
 8. Nozzle according to claim 1, wherein said cover includes a skirt that fits radially onto the outer side wall of the reservoirs.
 9. Nozzle according to claim 1, wherein said cover includes an inner stop that limits the upward sliding of the spacer when it is being assembled on the reservoir.
 10. Packaging method of a liquid cosmetic product in a dispenser comprising the steps of: providing a nozzle including a reservoir and an inner piston activated by the displacement of a base in accordance with claim 1; after filling, fitting said cover onto the reservoir with the inner spacer in its low position to clear the dispensing orifice; pushing said nozzle down allowing the air it contains to be released to the outside, through the conduit, the enclosure and the orifice until the spacer comes to a stop downwards against the bottom against the top edge of the reservoirs; and stopping the cover against the spacer while the spigot enters the dispensing orifice in a watertight fashion.
 11. Method according to claim 10, wherein the nozzle is guided onto the dispenser, making the cover slide against the side wall of the reservoir, which thus offers a radial seat. 